Gauff advances in windy Indian Wells, faces Eala next in third round

INDIAN WELLS -- With age, inevitably, comes responsibility.

As recently as a few years ago, Coco Gauff lived with her family in southern Florida and her mother dutifully did her laundry. No more. These days, Gauff has her own place nearby, has acquired a new skill and seems to enjoy the space.

“There are times, because I have my younger brothers,” Gauff said, “they're like, `Are you spending the night here?’

“I'm like, 'No, I'm going back to my bed.’"

On Friday, the No. 4 seed at the BNP Paribas Open hit a brief nap before finishing off qualifier Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 7-6 (5) in a windswept second-round match. Gauff impressively overcame 5-2 and 6-5 second-set deficits.

Sometimes it feels like Gauff, who turns 22 a week from Friday, has been doing this virtually forever. It was the sixth straight year she’s won a main-draw match here, making her the third youngest do that, after precocious predecessors Caroline Wozniacki and Lindsay Davenport.

“I think I'm pretty confident in my return, so I feel like I know I'm always going to get most of the time one of the two return points almost on every swing,” Gauff said “Then after that, it's just more so my serve. Also, I think fitness-wise, obviously tiebreakers are usually later in the match, so I think I'm able to just get that extra ball back, be mentally there.”

The win sets up a Sunday third-round meeting with No. 31 seed Alex Eala, who outlasted Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska in a late-night match. The 20-year-old from the Philippines has quickly become one of the tour’s most intriguing young players.

A few takeaways:

Consistent clutch-ability

Gauff remains a superior competitor, rising to the challenge when points matter most. She raised her level in the tiebreak, winning the match point by scrambling to pick up a dropshot and firing a killer overhead.

Gauff saved 8 of 13 break points overall and overcame that three-game deficit in the second set.

In the critical eighth game of the first set, Rakhimova was threatening to win her third straight game and level things at 4-all. At 15-all, Gauff hammered a running backhand pass and then prevailed in two long and absorbing rallies to take the game and swing the momentum back in her favor.

Changing it up

Gauff displayed a full toolkit against the No. 88-ranked Rakhimova, often going to a slice backhand and, a few times, off the forehand as well. An accomplished doubles player, Gauff moved forward when the opportunities presented themselves and knocked off some crisp volleys.

Gauff’s speed and instinct make her one of the game’s best defenders. She repeatedly tracked down Rakhimova’s shots deep in the corners. On the other side, knowing what Gauff was capable of, Rakhimova consistently overhit balls from neutral positions.

Double trouble

Double faults have plagued Gauff this season -- only Kimberly Birrell (88) has more than her 86 -- and they were again a factor Friday.

Gauff hit 10 doubles, and one of them came in the tiebreak and could have cost her. Meanwhile, Gauff struck zero aces.

By the numbers

• Gauff is now 3-0 against Rakhimova -- and 2-0 in 2026 after her 6-2, 6-3 win in the first round of the Australian Open 
• Since the start of the 2020 season, Gauff is one of four players with 100-plus match wins at WTA 1000 events, along with Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula
• Gauff is a sporty 23-3 against qualifiers and lucky losers in WTA 1000s
• Rakhimova is now 1-10 against Top 10 opponents.

Eala overcomes Yastremska in late night thriller

Gauff's next opponent will be 31st-seeded Eala. She needed 2 hours, 43 minutes to overcome Yastremska. After the players split the first two sets, Yastremska served for the match in the 10th game of the third before Eala broke back. Eala won three straight games to complete the 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 victory just before midnight local time.

"I think focus was a huge part of the match today. She played really well, in my opinion," Eala said. "I had to really go after all the balls and trust my gut. I think mental fortitude was a big part of today's game.

"I think that this match could have gone either way. I don't think there was a huge shift in momentum at any point.I was down 4-5. She broke me to love, I think. I tried to remind myself I was still in the game and just kept there, stayed there, and kept fighting."

A few takeaways from Eala's win:

Creating history for Philippine tennis in Tennis Paradise

Eala became the first player from the Philippines to appear in the main draw at Indian Wells. She is also the only player from the Philippines to have competed in a Tier I/WTA 1000 main draw since the format’s introduction in 1990.

Double trouble for Yastremska as well

The Ukrainian was undone by 15 double faults in the match, including eight in the final set. In contrast, Eala committed only four. Yastremska is now 0-2 against Eala at the WTA Tour level.

Second career meeting with Gauff

The win sets up a quarterfinal matchup between Eala and fourth-seeded Gauff. It will be the second meeting between the two, with Gauff winning their quarterfinal match in Dubai last month while losing only two games.

"I think it's definitely going to be a tough one," Eala said. "Coco is an amazing player and playing at home. I'm expecting a big crowd to rally behind her just because she's amazing. But it's like every other match. Today I had to dig really deep, so I'm expecting that the next match I have to do even more. So I'm ready, and I'm looking forward to it."